Claudio Suárez’s Ultimate XI

Claudio Suárez played 178 times for Mexico. In the first installment of what will be a weekly feature on The New York Times Goal blog, we asked the Chivas USA defender to pick his ultimate Mexican national team lineup. Check back every Thursday for the dream roster from a prominent player, coach or keen observer of the game in this feature based on a format made popular by FourFourTwo magazine in Britain.

This is My Ultimate XI of all the Mexican players I played with. In creating this list, I focused specifically on performances for El Tri, which I think is where you really show your true quality.

Goalkeeper — Jorge Campos

We played together for so long. Experts say that the best Mexican national teams were in 1994 and 1998, and Jorge was ahead of his time. He was a very versatile goalkeeper; he wasn’t tall but he would get every ball in the air. He knew how to play with his feet, which was great for us because we knew that we could always start the play from all the way in the back.

Central defender — Rafael Márquez

I was on the field for his very first game with the national team, when he was 20. Like any young player, he was nervous; I had to calm him down so he could be confident in his quality, and keep improving. He started to play very well under pressure and adapted very quickly. Rafa is a player with a lot of quality. He can hit long, precise balls, as well very good short passes.

Central defender — Juan de Dios Ramírez Perales

He’s not a well-known player but he’s a very good player that controlled the ball very well. He was intelligent; he didn’t have a lot of speed but he was excellent at neutralizing forwards and breaking up the other team’s offense. He was also good at giving the ball to the midfielders and starting the attack.

Left back — Ramón Ramírez

He was an explosive player, very skillful. There were many other players that were really good in that position, but Ramón held his spot in the Mexican national team for many years. Coaches used to play him as a No. 10, but he had trouble with that. His qualities made him better at moving up from deep on the field; he would get rid of defenders easily. In Mexico, you rarely find players with those qualities.

Right back — Jorge Rodríguez

Not a lot of people know him, but at the 1994 World Cup he was important for us. He was very effective as both a defender and an attacker. He was good at getting around Paolo Maldini when attacking, and stopping Giuseppe Signori in defense during the Mexico vs. Italy match. He kept them from creating opportunities, and made them worry about him. But he wasn’t just a threat in that game; the entire World Cup he showed that he was quick enough to do a lot of damage.

Central midfielder — Ignacio Ambriz

Everybody uses a 4-4-2 formation, but I’m going to use the traditional formation of 4-3-3. Ignacio was very intelligent; he controlled play and created a lot. He knew when to go forward and when to defend, and had a powerful long-distance shot that he used to score many goals. He was always supporting the defenders.

Left Midfielder — Alberto García Aspe

García Aspe was an amazing passer. He played with the national team for many years, and is obviously a very important player. He was a leader, and never panicked under pressure or in important moments. I’m mentioning all these players because they all showed a lot of class during important moments. Since García Aspe retired, there have been many players that want to be like him, but I can tell you that I’ve never seen someone like him.

Right Midfielder — Pavél Pardo

They use him now in a more defensive position, but when I used to play with him, he used to play more in the right side. He has a lot of character and consistently plays at the same high level. I was surprised when he went to Europe; most of the guys that go to Europe are younger but it was the right moment for him. He’s matured and has a good mentality that he still shows these days.

Attacking midfielder — Cuauhtémoc Blanco

I like having a playmaker on the field, and from what I saw at the national team level, there is no doubt about having Cuauhtémoc Blanco in my team. He’s one of the unique players that have the ability to do everything that he does, and even today he’s still showing his quality. When I played with him, he was in his prime. I like him because he not only showed his class at the club level but most importantly, at the international level.

Forward — Luis García

In 1994, Luis was great at taking advantage of opportunities. He was very comfortable inside the area, and was also very fast and would shoot quickly. He had a great reaction time which helped him in every situation. Plus, he was short, and that helped him too.

Forward — Luis Hernández

He is the most productive goal scorer that Mexico has ever had. He was a great danger to defenders, and showed in the 1998 World Cup what he was capable of. He didn’t always play in a traditional striker position; he was very agile, very fast, and would spread the field. Luis fought for every ball –- he had that mentality where he just wouldn’t give up on any ball, and that helps the team a lot. He wasn’t just focused on the goal area, he was everywhere. And he rarely missed.

Substitutes

Hugo Sánchez He was a great player, but was never in his prime at the national team level.

Enrique Borja Historically, he was an important person for Mexican soccer.

Jared Borgetti He has shown that he’s reliable as a goal scorer at important tournaments.

Coach — Miguel Mejía Barón

He coached the Mexican national team at the 1994 World Cup and I was with him during that period. From my perspective, that’s when Mexico played the best. We had the initiative to go and play offensively against any rival, and I liked the style of play that Mexico had at that time. He knew everything about tactics and was also a good motivator. He was a complete coach.

As a mexican that’s right now horrified with the play the national team has displayed, I agree with the list, because the list includes the players, that may not have had the greatest skillset, but had great hearts and knew how to win game.

They don’t call Claudo El Emperador for nothing. I agree with him, mostly, just because he is chosing players he played with. But in my list the 1986 team would have several in the starting lineup: Aguirre, Negrete and Sánchez, for starters. And Benjamín Galindo is the best creative midfielder Mexico’s had, and much more disciplined that Blanco. And Guardado is a must, too.

these are the types of player that you dont see in mexico anymore. Sure theres many playing in Europe but these are the some of the best, they had the talent or the heart. Unlike today where they prefer stronger players than the truly skillful ones

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Goal, The New York Times soccer blog, will report on news and features from the world of soccer and around the Web. Times editors and reporters will follow international tournaments and provide analysis of games. There will be interviews with players, coaches and notable soccer fans, as well as a weekly blog column by Red Bulls forward Jozy Altidore. Readers can discuss Major League Soccer, foreign leagues and other issues with fellow soccer fans.